/New Executive Order to Transform U.S. Homelessness Strategies

New Executive Order Aims to Revamp Homelessness Strategy in the U.S.

In a significant policy shift, President Trump has enacted an executive order aimed at altering the country's approach to homelessness, emphasizing treatment over housing solutions.

The order, signed on Thursday, suggests revising current methods to allow states and local governments greater ease in dismantling outdoor encampments and directing individuals towards mental health or addiction therapy. This includes potential involuntary civil commitment for individuals deemed a risk to themselves or others.

According to the order, cities experience issues like "endemic vagrancy, disorderly behavior, sudden confrontations, and violent attacks," which it claims create unsafe environments.

Shift in Federal Funding and Policy Criticism

The executive action redirects federal support from longstanding initiatives that prioritize housing before treatment, proposing instead to allocate funds to programs that emphasize sobriety and treatment. This includes rewarding cities enforcing bans on homeless encampments.

The order also instructs federal agencies such as Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation to evaluate grant programs and favor regions actively combating drug use, urban camping, and loitering.

Several advocates argue that this new directive inadequately addresses homelessness, potentially worsening the situation. Jesse Rabinowitz from the National Homelessness Law Center highlights a critical choice between data-driven compassion and criminalizing homelessness or mental illness.

Ann Oliva from the National Alliance to End Homelessness condemned institutionalizing mentally ill individuals, including the homeless, as neither safe nor effective, declaring it an undignified approach.

Impact on Addiction Programs

The order also targets addiction support frameworks, urging the defunding of "harm reduction" strategies by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This decision stands to disrupt essential programs aimed at reducing overdose incidents from drugs like fentanyl.

Addiction specialists widely regard harm reduction—such as clean needle distribution—as vital to managing addiction, contradicting the order's assertion that these programs promote drug use, a claim refuted by extensive research, including federal studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Policy Context and Conservative Support

Building on a recent Supreme Court decision authorizing cities to penalize individuals for outdoor sleeping when no alternatives exist, over 100 municipalities have tightened rules against homeless camps. More might pursue this if it facilitates federal funding acquisition.

For two decades, bipartisan efforts favored a "Housing First" tactic, asserting that stable housing precedes other forms of assistance. At the same time, inadequate affordable housing remains a central homelessness contributor. Yet, rising homelessness has prompted a conservative pushback against these policies.

An annual review reported over 770,000 homeless individuals last year, an 18% increase from the prior survey, fueling criticism of prior strategies.

Devon Kurtz from the conservative Cicero Institute praised the order, asserting that it addresses shortcomings in the "Housing First" model, aiming to ensure individuals' safety and prevent them from "falling through the cracks."

This executive move aligns with Project 2025's conservative agenda, which also advocates ending support for housing-first approaches. Earlier, the Trump administration restructured the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, a key collaborative agency for homelessness policy.